Civil Protection
Civil ProtectionHalf-Life 2 is essentially the thought police of all urban areas on Earth, including City 17. Its officers are named "Metro Cops",Half-Life 2: Raising the Bar while the spelling "Metrocops"Half-Life 2: Episode One and the initials "CPs"Half-Life 2 are also used. The CP entity uses the term "Metropolice", and the subtitles "MetroPolice". The Overwatch Voice simply uses the term "Protection".Half-Life 2 Part of the Combine Overwatch,Half-Life 2 Prima Guide CPs are ordinary human volunteers who have willingly joined the Combine,[http://www.halflife2.net/forums/showthread.php?t=114535 Marc Laidlaw Vault] on the HalfLife2.net Forums either for more privileges, such as additional food, better living conditions, an increase in authority and status over others, or out of genuine sympathy and identification with the Combine's aims. As such, they are not bio-mechanically modified in any way, unlike the two other Overwatch units. Barney Calhoun is notable for having infiltrated the Combine by joining the Civil Protection ranks as an undercover Resistance member. Overview *CPs wear white masks to disguise their faces, with built in vocoders to disguise their voices; these each contain a radio and air filters, and look similar to gas masks. Officers wear a combat vest, leather boots with a black-green uniform, an armband on the right arm, with "c17:i4" written in Impact emblazoned on it (it is unknown what "i4" means), and "C17" in the back of the collar. *CPs are typically armed with USP Match pistols and Stun Batons. In more critical circumstances, they will be issued with MP7s and use mounted OSIPRs. Some officers are also armed with a deployable Manhack and/or flare gun to call for help. *CPs heavily communicate with the Overwatch Voice over their radios; they are thus constantly fed mission objectives, rewards, reminders, and are directed to respond to certain incidents (such as the locations of downed units or other criminal acts). *CPs are almost always encountered in squads or teams,Terms used by the Overwatch Voice. and will employ very basic tactics, such as covering one another and running to cover when injured or reloading. CPs normally attack in an aggressive manner, and will give pursuit to evading suspects. The Overwatch Voice also suggests that each squad has a particular leader. *When a CP is killed, its radio emits a prolonged tone similar to that of a flatlining ECG, followed by the Overwatch Voice declaring the unit down, along with his last known location and orders to nearby units to respond. In fact, the constant radio chatter will generally give away unit positions before they are visible, indicating the generally inferior training the Civil Protection officers receive compared with their Overwatch brethren. *CPs are generally kept separate from Combine military units, such as Overwatch Soldiers or Synths, and stay in a policing role within the cities. They travel in APCs and Dropships and are often accompanied by City Scanners or Manhacks. *CPs sometime stand on Combine Watchtowers. From there they can fire flares to alert the other nearby CPs or fire at targets. *Certain transmissions heard over the Civil Protection radios suggest that officers are rewarded with, in the words of the Overwatch Voice, "non-mechanical reproduction simulation" for good job performance. It is unknown what it really implies, although it can be surmised that it is somehow sexual. Another reward addressed by the Overwatch Voice evokes a "family cohesion" being "preserved", suggesting that a mission failure might cause trouble to the family of a Metrocop. Other radio transmissions suggest that additional privileges are gained if a CP has its memory replaced, this being related to the promotion to Overwatch Soldier or Overwatch Elite by willfully surrendering more and more human features and characteristics. Another transmission suggest that CPs are provided with "anti fatigue rations" of at least 3mg; this is likely some psychoactive drug to help the individual stay awake longer. Tactics *CPs are not as organized and effective as the two other Overwatch units, and generally use weaker, more basic weapons, and are not very accurate. *CPs almost always work in groups, so when in a firefight with a squad or two, it is advised to hide as much as possible and shoot while they are reloading. As almost all of the fighting they have ever known is using force against unarmed, helpless Citizens, they will appear as being experienced with firefights, thus making easy targets. CPs also do not use melee attacks unless against an unarmed opponent, in which case they will use a Stun Baton. *In the early Half-Life 2 levels, a few pistol shots will kill a CP. In close quarters, a couple of hits with the crowbar will kill them. If they drop a Stun Baton in combat, it can be used as a battery for the HEV Suit. Later in the game, the best weapon to use against them is the MP7 which can easily dispatch large numbers of them at once. *In the Canals levels, many explosive barrels are scattered on, under or near wooden structures where CP tend to stand. It is advised to shoot the barrels for more effective (and spectacular) results. *In the Canals again, CPs often tend to throw themselves in the path of the Airboat or stand on breakable wooden structures, in a similar way to the Overwatch Soldiers with the Buggy in the Coast levels. This should be used as well for more effective results. Behind the scenes *Metrocops were originally to have other colors on their uniforms, such as red or yellow, and the right armband colored red. One version also depicts them with bright blue eyes.Half-Life 2: Raising the Bar *A Civil Protection headquarters building was originally to be seen near the Manhack Arcade, with above it the sign "C17 MP", or "City 17 Metropolice".WC mappack *CPs were originally to stand in Door / Guard Towers, hanging cabins used either to operate gates or guard an area. CPs were also to use early Combine Watchtowers near Sensor Gates, an other cut Combine device. *According to Valve's animator Doug Wood, the Metro Cop went through several sets of animations during its development. None of them felt right until the team decided to give the CP a more bullying personality. Then Wood put a slight swagger into the CP walk and changed the chest posture to a more leading position.Half-Life 2: Raising the Bar Elite Metro Cop''Half-Life 2: Raising the Bar Civil Protection was to have its elite version, just like the Overwatch Soldier has the Overwatch Elite. This Elite Metro Cop model is mostly the same as the standard model, but with a different helmet, as well as a different skin, such as a red patch on the chest, red shoulder-pads and gray trousers.Half-Life 2: Raising the Bar'' It cannot be found in the leaked files. Combine Guard''Half-Life 2: Raising the Bar Sharing its name with the part-human, part-Synth unit, this unit is apparently the first humanoid unit to have been suggested, and probably an early higher rank CP, like the Elite Metro Cop. Concept art from ''Half-Life 2: Raising the Bar show a soldier with a long trench coat inspired in part by the German SS uniforms of World War II. The different helmet versions were the basis of the final Metrocop and the Overwatch Soldier.Half-Life 2: Raising the Bar Trivia *The name Civil Protection could be seen as 'doublethink' (A term from George Orwell's dystopian novel, Nineteen Eighty-Four, sharing other similarities with the Half-Life 2 universe), or the ability to accept and believe two mutually contradictory beliefs at the same time, which becomes apparent pretty quickly due to the way they treat Citizens. Civil Protection could be read as a protection of the state from Citizens, instead of protecting the Citizens themselves. *An ''Orange Box'' Achievement, "Defiant", requires to hit the famous "Pick up that can" Metrocop with the can. Gallery Pre-release Metrocop File:Elite Metrocop.jpg|The Elite Metro Cop. File:Metrocop old skin.jpg|The Metrocop old skin, as seen in the map "e3_terminal". File:Children cremators.jpg|Old skin Metrocop in the Cremator Factory. File:Door and guard towers concept.jpg|Concept art for Door Towers, with a Metrocop on the bottom-right. File:E3 terminal.jpg|Old skin Metrocops in the map e3_terminal. File:D1 c17 01 old-textured-station0014.jpg|Metrocops at the front of an early City 17 Trainstation. File:Consulcast arcade.jpg|A Breencast device hanged to a Civil Protection building near the Manhack Arcade. File:003 c17 04 380007.JPG|Four garages are located beneath that building. File:003 c17 04 380000.JPG|Metropolice station near the same building. The letters read "C17 MP", or "City 17 Metropolice". File:D1 arcade 02000255.JPG|Metrocop watching over Citizens in the Manhack Arcade. File:Arcade full fixed0012.jpg|Ditto. File:Watchtower close.jpg|Metrocop in an early Combine Watchtower. File:Door tower.jpg|Metrocop in a Guard Tower. File:Guard tower down.jpg|Metrocops in Guard and Door Towers. Combine Guard File:Trenchcoat combine.jpg|Trench coat version. File:Cc.jpg|Version closer to the final version. File:Cg2.jpg|Several heads. File:Metropolice early poster.jpg|Propaganda poster including the trench coat version. File:Paperposter004a.png|Propaganda poster including the trench coat version and alternate gas masks. File:Consul greater good.jpg|Propaganda poster including the Consul and alternate gas masks. File:Chest MP.png|Early chest texture. File:Pantsfront MP.png|Early pants texture. File:Back MP.png|Early back texture. File:Ghost02.png|Ghostly Beta texture based on the early Barney model (using the previous texture) in the way of this G-Man image, originally used for scripted sequences. This suggests Barney was probably a Combine Guard in the early stages of development. Retail File:Metrocopjunk.png|Metrocop on a fast food bag. File:Pick up that can.jpg|"Pick up that can." File:Checkpoint.jpg|Metrocops at the City 17 Trainstation checkpoint. File:Trainstation razor trains.jpg|Metrocop on the Nova Prospekt platform in the City 17 Trainstation. File:APC first.jpg|A parked APC with CPs on guard. File:Citizens watching.jpg|Citizens about to experience a CP raid after the detected miscount. File:Beating1.jpg|Civil Protection apartment raid. File:Beating2.jpg|Ditto. File:D1 trainstation 050006.jpg|Barney watching monitors in Kleiner's Lab, one of which including a Metrocop. File:D1 trainstation 060004.jpg|Metrocops shooting at Gordon Freeman at the back of the City 17 Trainstation at the start of Gordon's escape. File:D1 trainstation 060005.jpg|Ditto. File:Police brutality.jpg|Gordon's first close encounter with some Metrocops beating Citizens. File:Mounted OSIPR.jpg|Metrocop using a mounted AR2 at Station 12. File:D1 canals 060005.jpg|Metrocops waiting for Freeman in the Canals. File:D3 c17 070005.jpg|Metrocop shooting from a Combine Watchtower. List of appearances *''Half-Life 2'' *''Half-Life 2: Raising the Bar'' *''Half-Life 2: Episode One'' Notes and references Category:Combine Units Category:Half-Life 2 Category:Half-Life 2: Episode One Category:References to Nineteen Eighty-Four